Time for a Change
by just-O
Summary: ON HIATUS. Superman finally decides he needs to talk to Superboy, but he doesn't come by that decision without a little push from a friend.
1. A Little Push

**Disclaimer: Young Justice belongs to DC.**

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**A Little Push**

Clark was not happy. He stood across from his long time friend Bruce Wayne in the largest park Metropolis had to offer. He didn't want to be here. He'd been tricked into this meeting by none other than Lois Lane. She had told him to meet up here, so imagine how surprised he'd been when the billionaire turned up with a smirk. Now they were talking about his least favorite subject these days…Superboy. It wasn't so much that he didn't like that kid. It was just a little much to take in and he still wasn't sure how to handle everything.

"Clark. I know you don't like talking about it, but you can't keep avoiding the situation. You need to talk to him."

"Why Bruce? Why do I need to do that?"

"He needs you. Like it or not, you're his father. This child needs his father like you needed yours. Hell, if I'm being honest, Superboy needs you _more_ than you needed the Kents."

"I've told you before. I'm not his father."

"No. Yes you are. He wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, and seeing as he's your clone I mean that in the most literal sense possible."

"I didn't ask for anyone to clone me, Bruce." Clark turned on his friend in frustration. "You don't know what it's like to find out you have a clone."

"You're right. I don't know what it's like to have a clone. I'm not sure I can even imagine how I would react to your situation," Bruce paused and made sure to make eye contact with the most powerful being on Earth before continuing, "But I also don't know what it's like to be the clone of someone who is constantly pushing me away."

"I _do not_ push him away," Superman tried to dig himself out of the hole Batman had just pushed him into. "I've just been…busy…er…than usual…"

Bruce raised his eyebrows expectantly, and when nothing else was said he decided to continue. With an annoyed sigh, he shook his head and said, "You don't seem to understand what I'm trying to say. It doesn't matter whether you are or aren't pushing him away—"

"I'm not," Clark interrupted, earning a warning glare from Bruce.

"It still seems like you're avoiding him from his point of view. You're avoiding him like the plague. But he's still just a child, Clark. He may be sixteen physically, but he's only been alive for a few months. And he needs some guidance. At the very least, he needs acceptance, and I don't mean from his teammates; they've already accepted him with open arms. He needs it from you."

"I don't know…" Clark said unsure.

"Look. Just do it. It's probably not going to be pretty. It's going to be awkward, but I don't see how it can be any more awkward than things are now."

"I don't even know where to start."

"That's because you become socially inept at the most inconvenient times, and that's coming from me." Clark smiled for the first time since they'd been talking. He was one of the few people who knew Batman even knew how to crack a joke. Bruce smirked back at him before giving him one last word of advice. "As far as not knowing where to start goes, I think I'd start with an apology."

"Right. Well, I should probably go now before I decide to back down, yeah?"

"That _would_ be the best plan of action. But please don't do that stripping in public thing you like to do," Bruce mock pleaded.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. I'll try to contain myself. Oh and Bruce," Clark put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Thanks." He was gone within a second.

"Good luck, Clark."

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**Thanks for reading and even though I know the majority of people won't, I'd still like to ask you to please drop a review on your way out.**

**O-nin**


	2. Surprise Guest

**Disclaimer: Young Justice belongs to DC.

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**Surprise Guest**

_At Mt. Justice…_

"Hey Tornado, you got a mission for us or what?" Kid Flash asked dashing into the main room ahead of his teammates.

"It is the Batman who gives you missions, not I," Red Tornado stated simply.

"We know, but there has to be something going on that we can help with," Kid said trying to convince the android to fold.

"To the contrary, there is nothing of dire importance that the League cannot handle."

Kid groaned audibly as his friends came up next to him. "But it's been so boooring!"

"Do you complain this much all the time when I'm not around, Kid?"

The team turned around and a smile found its way onto almost everyone's face.

"Flash!"

Everyone ran over to greet Kid's mentor. Well, everyone except for Superboy that is, who watched on from the cave's entrance. He didn't like it when any of the mentor's came by for a visit. It made his insides burn.

Still, he didn't want to be the one to dampen the mood, so he slowly made his way over with the rest of his team.

"What are you doing here, Flash?" Wally asked excitedly.

"Well, Batman always gets to come by since he has to give you your missions, and I know J'onn, GA, and Aquaman have already come by a couple times so I figured it was my turn to drop in for a visit." He ruffled his nephew's hair affectionately.

Each of the mentor's names continued to echo inside Superboy's head. He wondered if any of the other members of his team noticed that there was one mentor who had not been mentioned, if that person could truly be considered a mentor up to this point.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the red clad hero continue.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here for very long. I just wanted to check in on you kids and say a quick hi before I take care of some League business. I do have something to give you guys before I go though." He dashed away and came back a second later carrying a huge cake. "My, uh…someone I care deeply for, thought you deserved a treat for all your hard work these past couple of months."

"Alright! Go Aun…onymous person I probably have no relationship to what-so-ever," Kid quickly spat out in an attempt to cover up his near slip up.

"Really? This is all for us?" M'gann asked as she looked over the beautiful cake. "Tell whoever made it thank you for me."

"Tell her for all of us," Kaldur agreed, before nervously adding, "Or him…"

Flash laughed. "Don't worry. It's a her." Aqualad sighed somewhat relieved that the man had taken no offense. "Well, that's all I was asked to drop off, so I'm gonna have to be on my way now. Don't want to be late do I?" He winked at them before taking off.

"Well, that was nice of him to come by. Don't you think?" M'gann pointed out, causing Superboy to twitch.

"I'm just glad he came with food. I'm starving."

"Really, Wally? You? Hungry? I don't believe it," Artemis said sarcastic ally before glaring. "You'd better leave some for us."

Superboy hadn't said anything since the elder superhero had arrived, and both Kaldur and Robin had noticed his odd behavior. Both of them knew why he was always a little more reserved whenever any of the mentors came by, but this time he'd been a little quieter than usual.

Kaldur put a hand on his friend's shoulder supportively. "Superboy…Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said bluntly, shrugging away from the Atlantean.

"Dude, you can tell us what's bothering you. We're your friends," Robin put in.

"Nothing is bothering me," he said, feeling himself getting irritated.

"Hey guys," Megan greeted them. Then she saw that the boy she had a not-so-secret crush on looked upset. "Is everything alright, Superboy?" she asked sympathetically.

Superboy growled angrily before whipping around. "I said I'm fine! Why can't you just let it go? All of you, just leave me alone!"

His team watched sadly as he stormed outside.

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**I know it was a boring chapter, but please leave a review on you're way out. It would be much appreciated. So please let me know if I'm doing okay with keeping them in character. I know I can get really out of whack with them sometimes so feel free to call me out. I'm not the best writer out there, but keeping them in character is one of the few things I feel I have a little control over. Thanks for reading! **

**O-nin**


	3. Hug it Out

**Disclaimer: YJ property of DC.**

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**Hug it Out**

Superboy sat with his knees pulled in and looked out across the waters of Happy Harbor, watching the Sun dip below the horizon from his perch atop Mt. Justice. The view was so peaceful, but his mood was anything but. He was still trying to shake the feeling of guilt he had sitting in his stomach after going off on his friends. He tried so hard to keep his feelings in check, but it never really seemed to do him any good. He always ended up taking all his frustrations out on them; even when they were only trying to help.

He let his forehead fall so it rested on his knees and let out a troubled sigh of shame. His brooding session ended when he heard someone land next to him. His head flipped up but he didn't move otherwise.

He felt his stomach clench when he saw the red cape.

"What do _you_ want?" Superboy asked, still upset from earlier.

"Well, I was…hoping I could talk to you," the Man of Steel said.

"Don't lie to me. Just go away." Superboy stood up and started walking away. Superman pulled him back with a hand on the teen's shoulder, only for it to be smacked away harshly. "Don't touch me!"

"Superboy, please. Just let me apologize. I made a mistake," Superman tried to explain.

"NO!" Superboy backed up and shook his head at the older hero. "That's not fair!"

"What do you…"

"You don't get to just come here and say you're _sorry_ and have everything be fine just like that!"

"I know, but won't you please at least hear me out?" Superman pleaded as he once again approached the teen.

Almost as if considering the proposal, Superboy's face softened a smidge, but once again scrunched up in anger as he thought back on all the times he'd been turned away. "No! Just leave me alone!" he roared before pushing off from the ground and leaping as far away as his legs could manage, leaving a sizeable crater in his wake.

Superman stood stock still as his eyes watched the boy getting farther and farther away. Doubt filled his mind as he deliberated between chasing him and leaving him alone as had been requested. In the back of his mind he could hear a voice ordering, _"Go after him."_

'_But he said to leave him alone…' _Clark thought sadly as his whole body began to sag in defeat.

Again the voice demanded,_ "Follow him, Clark."_

'_Funny...' _Clark thought to himself,_ 'My subconscious sounds a lot like Bruce.'_ He shivered when an image of Batman planting some sort of microchip inside his brain came to mind. _'Euwuhgh…Okay, that was creepy…And I can actually see him doing that.'_

"_Stop stalling or you'll never get the chance to talk to him."_

'_Alright, alright, I'm going. Just get out of my head,'_ Superman thought back to the imaginary Batman in his head as he flew off in the direction of his clone.

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"Damn it…" Superboy muttered as he created yet another car-sized crater.

He didn't know why he'd gotten so upset, but he did. It was the second time in the past couple of hours. Why couldn't he learn to control his temper?

"Damn it!" he slammed his fist into the ground when he landed again. "Stupid!"

He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, but that did nothing. He took off again, not really knowing where he was headed. All he knew was that he need to go.

First he yells at his friends?

And then at Superman?

This was the first time the man had come to him and initiated a conversation, if it could indeed be called that, and he'd just ruined any chance he had of getting closer his idol.

"Why? Why am I so stupid?" he cried out to no one in particular. He landed again and punched a nearby tree, snapping it in two as easy as if it had been a twig. He looked around, taking in ragged breaths. He was in some sort of forest, but why did everything look so damn blurry? He blinked his eyes until he felt something wet make its way down his cheek and everything became clear again, but only for a moment.

He attempted to focus and calm down, but all he could remember were the snippets of dialogue from a few minutes ago.

"…_was…hoping I could talk to you…"_

"…_let me apologize…"_

"…_Leave me alone!..."_

"Shut! UP!" the teen roared again, causing some of the branches to rustle as birds flew away from the supposed threat. He could feel himself growing angry again and started to run as fast as his legs could go.

He wasn't quite as fast as Wally, but it was faster than he'd been expecting. Trees zipped past on either side of him in green and brown blurs. Apparently he had some sort of super-speed…he hadn't noticed since he usually decided to spring off. It was more practical than running.

Of course, flying would be his first choice, but…he couldn't fly.

'_Superman can fly…'_ Superboy thought to himself, a self loathing expression taking the place of his anger. _'Superman wouldn't have run away…'_ Whether he knew it or not he began to slow down; his speed dropping along with his mood. _'Superman came to talk and I ran…I got angry…'_

His head dropped down as he stared at the forest floor. His hands formed into tight fists. "I blew it…" he said out loud, his voice cracking in the process. "No wonder he doesn't want me. He doesn't need a coward for a son. He doesn't need someone who loses their temper. Superman doesn't need someone like me. I was stupid for thinking I could be like him. For thinking that he'd accept me as his…as a part of his family…"

He whipped around when he heard a twig snap behind him. "You sure can move when you want to, kid." Superboy quickly looked away, ashamed by the attempted icebreaker and compliment. Superman stood awkwardly across from the sixteen year old for a few silent minutes before finally speaking again. "So…can we talk?"

Superboy just stood there staring at anything but Superman, and remained silent.

Taking his silence as an okay to continue, Superman sighed heavily. "I…uh…Well, the thing is…I…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm not very good at this apparently," Superman joked to himself, trying to calm his own nerves while not setting off the kid. Cautiously, he made his way forward towards him. "I, uh, heard everything you said…"

Superboy looked up in embarrassment and realization._ 'Of course he could hear you. You were practically screaming and he's got super-hearing.'_

"Oh," he finally said disappointed. "I…It's just…" A frown made its way back onto his face as he once again became upset. "I don't understand. I don't understand why you don't like me," he said, his voice rising.

"It's not you," Superman corrected. "It's what you are."

'_Shit…'_

As soon as he said it, he wished he could take it back. If he thought Superboy was mad before, that didn't compare to the livid glare he was receiving now.

"_Way to go, Clark," _his inner bat mocked. _"That glare rivals my own."_

"What? A clone?" Superboy demanded. "I'm a clone so you can't get close to me? Is that why you pushed me away? Why every time I came to you for help, you ignored me?"

"Superboy, I mis-spoke—"

"NO! You didn't! I don't know why I've wasted my time with you! All I've ever wanted was to be accepted by you! You know that?" he screamed painfully, as a lump began to form in his throat. "I'm done! I don't need you! Not if this is who Superman is!"

His whole body shook as his feelings continued to escalate. He inhaled sharply and scrunched his face up in agony.

"It's not like I asked to be a clone!" he forced out. He clenched his fist and stared at the ground between them. Everything started to get blurry again and he shut his eyes tightly. "I didn't ask…It's not…I just…I'm sorry!" He rubbed at his eyes, angry that they seemed to be leaking. "Why am I crying? This is so stupid!"

Superboy stood covering his eyes with both hands, trying to stop the tears from coming, but was failing to no end.

Meanwhile, Superman beat himself up mentally. His inability to adapt had caused this. He was sure of it. If he had just seen past what Cadmus had done from the beginning, the boy in front of him wouldn't be a hysterical mess. It literally hurt to see Superboy like this. His clone had tried so many times to get closer to him. To be acknowledged. Why hadn't he seen that? If he'd seen past everything, this all could have been easily avoided.

Hearing strangled cries coming from the young man in front of him, Clark made a decision. He quickly went to the boy and carefully wrapped his arms around the child's shoulders, pulling him close. Superboy tried to push him away at first, but his hold would not be that easily broken.

"Superboy," Clark started yet again in a careful voice. "I am so sorry. You shouldn't be apologizing to me for anything. Because none of this was your fault. I let what Cadmus did to me cloud my vision. With all my abilities, I couldn't let myself see past what they'd done. Instead of seeing you for you, I looked at you and saw Cadmus. I saw my DNA; DNA that had been stolen." The topic still got him riled up, but that wasn't the issue at the moment so he let it pass. "But that wasn't fair. Because you're not just a clone. You are your own person and I apologize for not realizing that sooner. I know that it seemed like I was pushing you away, and I know that it hurt you. I was wrong for forcing these feelings on you. If there's any way you can forgive me, I'd really like to start over, but that choice is up to you..."

He trailed off when he felt Superboy twitch awkwardly. Surprise washed over him when he felt two unsure arms wrap around his waist. He tightened his hold on his kid, reassuring his actions. The smaller, but still well muscled arms, clutched tightly to the back of his uniform, clearly needing the contact he'd been neglected.

Superboy buried his face in the blue shoulder as he cried. He was supposed to be sixteen and felt so stupid for crying, but the tears just wouldn't stop. He would have been more embarrassed by the whole situation had Superman laughed or said he was acting like a child. Instead, the Man of Steel let him bawl it out, offering words of comfort and more apologies. After a couple minutes past though, Superboy started to feel awkward.

First reason being, he didn't know why he was all weepy, and second, he gradually became aware that he was hugging _Superman_. In the middle of a forest. In God knows which state.

He realized happily that his face wasn't wet anymore and his nerves had calmed down considerably. Feeling that everything was okay now, or that it would eventually be okay, he started to squirm.

"Uh…Superman?" he said trying to get the man's attention.

"Yes?"

"Can we stop now?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet. Maybe I'll let you go in a couple more minutes, but until then, you can bear with it." He could hear the humor in his voice.

Superboy groaned in mild annoyance, but complied.

"Okay. We're done," Superman announced, letting the boy go and holding him at arm's length. "You okay?"

He looked away when his face flushed. "Yeah…"

"You ready to go?" Superman asked, smiling down at him.

"Yeah."

"Can you say something else besides yeah?"

"Yea-Yes," Superboy smirked, catching himself before landing in that trap.

"Alright, hold on," Superman grabbed his hand and flew up past the tops of the trees. "There's somewhere I want you to see."

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**A/N: Sorry for taking so long. I hit a wall and consulted my brother. So thank you Relleus for that and the title. **

**Please drop a review on your way out. They are very helpful. **

**O-nin**


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